8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d)

of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 23, 2021 (August 20, 2021)

The Williams Companies, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (918) 573-2000

NOT APPLICABLE

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On August 20, 2021, John D. Chandler, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer indicated his intent to retire from The Williams Companies, Inc. (the “Company”) effective March 31, 2022.

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On August 23, 2021, the Company furnished a press release regarding Mr. Chandler’s retirement described above in Item 5.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K. The press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated in this Item 7.01 by reference.

In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information furnished under this Item 7.01 on this Current Report on Form 8-K and the exhibit attached hereto are deemed to be “furnished” and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall such information be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended or the Exchange Act.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)    Exhibits.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

DATE: Monday, August 23, 2021

Williams Chief Financial Officer to Retire

TULSA, Okla. – Williams (NYSE: WMB) announced today that John Chandler, senior vice president and chief financial officer, has indicated his intent to retire, effective March 31, 2022. Chandler assumed his current role in September 2017, overseeing all financial aspects for the company. Prior to rejoining Williams in 2017, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P. beginning that role in 2002 in advance of Magellan’s spinoff from Williams in 2003. He retired from Magellan in 2014.

“Four years ago, Williams was fortunate enough to coax John out of retirement to join our executive team. He has been a diligent steward of our financial operations and is well-respected in the financial and investment community for his sound fiscal discipline, strategic ideas and strong professional drive,” said Alan Armstrong, Williams president and chief executive officer. “I’ve had the pleasure of knowing John for many years, and he is a man truly driven by his faith and love of his family and community. We’re happy for him as he chooses to enter this new chapter of his life, but we’re equally as sad to say goodbye to someone who’s been an integral part of our company’s growth and strong financial performance.”

During Chandler’s tenure, Williams strengthened its balance sheet, improved across many key credit rating metrics and achieved significant deleveraging, driving consistent value to Williams shareholders.

“A little over seven years ago, I retired from Magellan to dedicate more time to my family and community. And while the time away was incredibly rewarding, I came back to Williams to be part of exciting change and an incredible management team,” said Chandler. “With its forward-looking strategy, strong balance sheet and ability to self-fund opportunities, there are many great things ahead for Williams, but I’m now ready to redirect more of my time back to my family and community. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role and am excited to see how the future unfolds for Williams as it continues to lead in an evolving energy environment.”

Chandler serves on the Board of Directors for Matrix Services Company as well as the boards of several community organizations.

Efforts are underway to identify a suitable successor, and Chandler will be engaged in that process.

About Williams

Williams (NYSE: WMB) is committed to being the leader in providing infrastructure that safely delivers natural gas products to reliably fuel the clean energy economy. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Williams is an industry-leading, investment grade C-Corp with operations across the natural gas value chain including gathering, processing, interstate transportation and storage of natural gas and natural gas liquids. With major positions in top U.S. supply basins, Williams connects the best supplies with the growing demand for clean

energy. Williams owns and operates more than 30,000 miles of pipelines system wide – including Transco, the nation’s largest volume and fastest growing pipeline – and handles approximately 30 percent of the natural gas in the United States that is used every day for clean-power generation, heating, and industrial use.